The present invention relates to a hurdle for malthouses and other material-handling spaces. More particularly, it relates to a hurdle of the above mentioned type which has a supporting frame and a bottom which is supported by the supporting frame and perforated for passage of the material treating medium.
Hurdles of this type are used for wetting, germination and kiln-drying or drying of grains, hops, and other particulate products. These hurdles often have considerable dimensions and accommodate many tons of heavy particulate material, for example in modern big malt houses. They are formed either as immovable hurdles or so-called plane hurdles, or as movable hurdles such as for example tilting hurdles or rotary hurdles. All hurdles have a basic construction including a supporting frame and a bottom, wherein the supporting frame is formed as shaped or latticework supports and the bottom supported by the supporting frame is formed merely of a narrow-mesh wire network for small and simple hurdles units, or in the mainly used construction is assembled of a plurality of frames provided with apertured sheet coating. The frames have a plurality of supporting parts provided for supporting the apertured sheet coating and connected with one another in a welded construction. These bars require cutting and welding of many individual parts. Mounting of the perforated sheet coating on the frames is carried out by a riveting or welding. The first option is expensive, whereas the second option is inexpensive, but as always requires a post-adjustment of the frame, since it is warped as a result of heat expansion. The subsequent harmonization makes possible a second post-adjustment. The post-adjustments are time-consuming, since in the sense of the required planeness and shape-accuracy of the frames they must be carried out exactly because the hurdle buttons must be plane, and no essential intermediate spaces or slots must remain between the frames, which proves a danger of nests of meltable or rottable materials. The hurdle of the known construction has, because of its material-consuming and labor-consuming frames of their bottom, a high weight per meter.sup.2 of hurdle surface and is expensive because of poor material use. Since the tolerances in the sense of height and maintenance of a right angle can be provided with difficulties and therefore many adjusting works and fitting works are needed in situ, the price of the square meter because of these works is negatively affected to a great extent.